Louis XIV Would Envy Your Life
The Wealth of Everyday
I wake up each morning on a Costco memory-foam mattress. Nothing fancy, nothing exclusive—just the same mid-tier slab that comes with free two-day shipping to anyone with an address and a debit card. At 6 a.m. my thermostat clicks to 70 °F, a luxury now enjoyed by the nearly nine in ten U.S.... See more
Clifford Sosinx.comMy claim is that luxury goods are gradually becoming a noisier signal of one's position in society. This isn't to say that they don't still confer status — they clearly do. People still buy material items to signal their status. But because they've become a noisier signal over time, people are starting to signal their status with their beliefs and... See more